Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-01

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Underground Railway Systems

City	Date opened	Kilometers of route	Passengers per year (in millions)
London	1863	394	775
Paris	1900	199	1191
Tokyo	1927	155	1927
Washington DC	1976	126	144
Kyoto	1981	11	45
Los Angeles	2001	28	50

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The table depicts the information about how the underground railway systems in the different types of cities. The data has been calculated from 1863 to 2001.

It is crystal clear from the table that how the underground railway systems among these cities. In london almost 394km the railway was run and have 775 millions passengers in year 1863. The highest passengers were travelled by underground railway which were 1927 million people in Tokyo around 155 km every year. On the other hand, the underground railway systems of the city Kyoto was completed the route almost 11km and 45 millions people travelled by railway in year 1981. Furthermore, in Los angeles the railways route was completed 28 km which is lowest from the Kyoto in year 2001.

Overall, we can see that in city Paris and Washington DC completed their underground railway system almost in year 1900 to 1976 by with 1191 millions to 144millions passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to address the task by mentioning several cities, dates, and figures from the table, but it does not present a fully clear or accurate overview. Key features are reported minimally rather than being adequately selected and compared, resulting in a partial treatment of the prompt. For instance, the statement that London had '775 millions passengers in year 1863' misinterprets the data, as 1863 is the opening date, not the year passenger numbers were recorded. Furthermore, important comparisons between the systems are underdeveloped or confused, such as the inaccurate comparison where Los Angeles is stated to be 'lowest from the Kyoto'. To reach a higher level, the response needs to provide a clearer overview of the main trends and select key data points to accurately illustrate differences and similarities across the cities without misinterpreting the timeline.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response shows some organisation with an introduction, body, and overall conclusion, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. While paragraphing is attempted, the logical flow between and within paragraphs is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and inaccurate referencing. Cohesive devices are used in a basic or mechanical manner, such as repeatedly using 'In london', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore', but these do not always establish logical relationships between sentences. For example, the transition to the conclusion abruptly groups Paris and Washington DC together with confusing phrasing ('completed their underground railway system almost in year 1900 to 1976 by with 1191 millions to 144millions passengers per year'). To improve, the writer needs to ensure that ideas are sequenced logically and that cohesive devices are used accurately to connect data points smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, reflecting a basic range that is just about adequate for the task. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'underground railway systems' and 'route', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation that affect precision. For example, writing 'The highest passengers were travelled' demonstrates incorrect word forms and collocations, while 'in city Paris' shows an unnatural prepositional choice. Additionally, there are minor formatting and spelling inaccuracies like 'In london' (capitalisation) and 'Los angeles'. To achieve a higher score, the writer should incorporate a wider variety of precise lexical items and demonstrate better control over word forms and collocations when discussing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or overly convoluted sentences that contain frequent grammatical errors. Attempts at more complex structures are often faulty and impede clarity, such as 'It is crystal clear from the table that how the underground railway systems among these cities.' There are frequent errors in verb tenses, voice, and agreement, including 'the railway was run and have 775 millions passengers' and 'the railways route was completed 28 km which is lowest'. Prepositions and articles are also frequently mishandled throughout the text. To progress, the writer must focus on improving the accuracy of basic sentence patterns, ensuring proper subject-verb agreement, and using appropriate tense forms when reporting historical and statistical data.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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